Factors associated with medical problems among young non-deployed U.S. military working dogs
| Autor: | Catherine Rappole, Sara B. Mullaney, Tyson Grier, Emilee Venn, Anna Schuh-Renner |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
Male
medicine.medical_specialty 040301 veterinary sciences 030231 tropical medicine Population Problem list Operational capabilities Breeding Belgian Malinois Preventive care 0403 veterinary science 03 medical and health sciences Dogs 0302 clinical medicine Food Animals Risk Factors Working Dogs Animals Medicine Dog Diseases education Veterinary Service Military Preventive healthcare education.field_of_study U s military business.industry 04 agricultural and veterinary sciences Odds ratio Animal Science and Zoology business Demography |
| Zdroj: | Preventive Veterinary Medicine. 193:105390 |
| ISSN: | 0167-5877 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2021.105390 |
| Popis: | The goals of this project were to quantify medical problems among a population of Military Working Dogs (MWDs) and analyze factors associated with common medical conditions. Medical conditions recorded in veterinary Master Problem List (MPL) entries for 774 young, non-deployed, active MWDs were categorized and combined with demographic information to analyze risk factors. Most dogs were male (74%), German Shepherd (39%) or Belgian Malinois (31%) breeds, certified in Explosive Detection (60%), and had a dark coat color (83%). Ages ranged from one to six years, with an average of 2.6 years (± 0.5 years). Eighty-three percent of dogs had a non-surgical medical problem in their record. The most common non-surgical medical problems were dermatologic (25% of MPL entries), alimentary (21%), dental (15%), soft-tissue injury (10%), and musculoskeletal conditions (4%). Factors associated with each medical condition were breed (Odds Ratios 1.96-8.24), sex and spay/neuter status (ORs 1.78-5.77), occupational duty certification (ORs 2.65-3.62), military command location (ORs 2.32-7.44), and military branch (OR 5.16). As MWDs are a valuable asset for the Department of Defense, training and work conditions for the identified at-risk groups of MWDs should be further assessed to maximize their operational capabilities and assess the potential to serve as sentinel indicators for human diseases. Improved understanding of the most common medical problems affecting MWDs, and the identification of factors associated with these conditions, can help drive changes in their preventive care. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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